Blackbeard’s Rum Barrel Bear Hug - Coconut
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

 

Had a sampler of this on tap at Bell's All Stouts Day. I wanted to really like this beer, but found too much rum-barrel character, and too little coconut in the aroma and taste. Also, it's a bit 'hot' from the 15.5% alcohol. The beer is a bit too sweet and syrupy for my tastes, but somehow I think this is kind of an impressive beer. Maybe some aging would settle it and let the intended flavors begin to shine.

Phenomenal rum barrel, boozy, but not overwhelming.

The smell is amazing. You get the rum barrel most prominently as well as subtle vanilla, coconut and cinnamon last. The carbonation is subdued. The bubbles that stick around after the pour almost look like some kind of sediment to me. It’s not the best looking stout to me. Looking at it and tasting it, I wish it were a bit thicker. It’s not thin, but it’s not as viscous as my favorite Perennial and Goose stouts. It does also remind me of Perennial stouts because they use rum barrels very effectively for their BA stouts. Bells isn’t up to their level for me. The taste comes off as medicinal and I’m not loving how it all comes together. It’s not overly sweet which is good. I like how the cinnamon, vanilla, and coconut are all subtle and not overpowering, but the rum barrel just comes through like a bad cough syrup. It’s not a bad stout and I’m glad I got a bottle, but I’m also glad I didn’t spring for a 4 pack.